Question:
I know this was mentioned in some thread a while back but could not find it.

Recently my GS started nibbling on grass when we were outside. Does this mean he is lacking in some nutrients? He just finished a bad several days of diahreah ( spelling?) I am figuring the runny poop came from some gravy we put on top of a meal he had. I recently started Salmon oil into the diet. So, these two things are recent additions to his diet. Hope it's not the salmon oil.

Also:

DOes anyone have a web site out there that they recommend ordering RAW from? I was looking and there are a bunch of them out there. Just wondering if anyone does this now?

Hi Kelly,

My pup has, off and on, grazed on grass causing him to vomit. He has been on salmon oil since I brought him home and he gets a few other supplements as well so I know he's not lacking essential vitamins and minerals. I've always thought they did it because of an upset stomach but that may be an old wives tale.

Recently, right after I switched him to raw, he went through a major grass eating/vomiting/refusing food thing and it was really hard to know if he was eating grass to settle his stomach or was the grass eating unsettling his stomach? In any case, we made a real effort to stop him every time we caught him grazing and that seems to have helped.

If his tummy is upset you could add plain yogurt or a probiotics powder to his food and see if that helps cut down on the grazing.

There is one theory (as a result of a study that was done that I will try to locate) that dogs vomit after eating grass because there are tiny barbs on grass that irritates the stomach lining.

You can see if your grass has these barbs by running a blade of grass up and down through your pointer finger and thumb. You'll notice if there are barbs. They'll only be felt in one direction, and not the other.

Not all grasses have these barbs, and these are the grasses that don't seem to make the dogs barf. This grass will feel smooth going up and down between your fingers. Most of the grasses used in lawns do, however, have them. Most of the grasses found in the wild that a dog would eat, do not.

The fact that it seems to be an almost universal habit among dogs leads me to believe that there is a reason for it. Perhaps as a form of roughage...which cleans out the intestines. Much the same thing that happens when we eat lettuce. It makes sense to me considering that dogs often eat things that could occassionally leave little nasties behind.

Nowhere have I seen it written that eating grasses that are free of pesticides/fertilizers is bad for dogs. Our grass is barb-free and I don't stop my dogs from grazing. They've never thrown up from it.

What about drinking lake water? Is that okay? B/c anytime I take him to the lake, he will get thirsty and start drinking away.

 Quote: Kelly Kovar

What about drinking lake water? Is that okay? B/c anytime I take him to the lake, he will get thirsty and start drinking away.

That would depend on the lake, so I don't think I can safely answer that. Obviously if you see dead fish or garbage, stay away. The ponds and lakes where I live are spring-fed, so they're flushed well. In times of drought though, when the water level is very low and therefore the toxins more concentrated, I stay away from pond water (these are small ponds, though).

If your dog has been drinking at the lake in the past and hasn't experienced any weird side effects...like runny poo, vomiting or an extra eye, you're probably okay. It's not the naturally occuring bacteria and such I'd be worried about; it would be the man-made additions that would make me concerned.

I don't know where you live, but where I live we can get any water sample tested for a small fee at our local town hall.

I started another thread. I wanted to get some more input and thought that i might not get the response that I wanted buried in this thread.


Thanks Amber for the quick replies.